


Reunions and Reactions

by Chrysalin



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Reincarnation, Resurrection, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 03:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19123756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrysalin/pseuds/Chrysalin
Summary: Set pre-Crystal Tokyo. The Shitennou are brought back. How will this go over with the Senshi?(Kunzite was already around and is a trusted ally of the Senshi.)





	Reunions and Reactions

**Author's Note:**

> This story actually began life as part of my much larger Sailor Moon series, but I ended up going a different direction and made this an AU of an AU. As one does. That's why Kunzite is already here and some things mentioned are somewhat different.

It was strange, Ami thought as she leaned over the railing of her balcony. After so much fighting, they would have peace until the rise of Crystal Tokyo. No battles, no enemies. Nothing. It had been quiet for a few years, nothing more than a stray monster or two on rare occasions, or a brief resurgence of dark energy. The Senshi handled each with meticulous ease and grace. 

She sighed and walked back in, absently tugging up the shoulder of her robe. The dratted thing was too big and kept trying to slide off, but she didn’t like shopping enough to get another one. As it was, this one had been a gift from a boy she went to school with.

After Galaxia’s defeat, life went back to normal. Mamoru went to America and returned; the Senshi finished high school. Minako was already making her name known in the music and television industries. Rei had taken on full responsibilities at Hikawa Shrine when her grandpa became ill. She and Yuuichiro ran it together. He still liked her, but they seemed to have come to an agreement that kept things from being awkward. Makoto had taken a position as a chef at a new restaurant after the owner saw her with Taiki on the cooking show. Usagi was going to school with Ami, the only one of the Guardian Senshi to do so. The petite blonde was majoring in political science with a minor in economics and doing brilliantly. 

Ami had continued down the path she had laid out at a young age. After she graduated high school, she had taken the trip to Germany for a semester. She was offered a full scholarship in hopes of getting her to stay longer, but she couldn’t bear being away from her friends. She chose to return to Tokyo and attended the same college as Usagi and Mamoru. Mamoru was into his graduate work and balancing an internship on the side. The two of them were also planning their wedding. The blue-haired Senshi couldn’t bring herself to regret coming back, knowing she belonged with her friends. 

She preferred a quiet life with few distractions. She had little contact with people outside of school, a notable exception being the girls and the few who knew who they were. Guys asked her out or sent her love letters, but they were always turned down. As nicely as possible, of course. 

Ami was lonely, though. A deeper instinct told her something was still missing from what would have been a perfect life. 

88888888

Recently, Usagi and Mamoru had been spending a great deal of time closeted away with Setsuna, Kunzite, and Hotaru, embroiled in deep discussions. Her supercomputer often signaled high energy readings, but it always carried their power signatures so she paid them no mind. 

88888888

Usagi was exhausted, but it was hard to care. The impossible had been achieved. She activated the old communicator to call everyone to her and Mamoru’s apartment. 

Ami came immediately, curious. Haruka made a few comments about how she wasn’t happy that the other Outers were keeping secrets from her, but Michiru told her it was bound to be for a good reason. She huffed in reply. 

The other Guardian Senshi were just as confused with the exception of Minako, who looked as smug as the cat with the canary and the cream. Ami assumed Kunzite had kept her informed of the going-ons. 

The conspirators filed into the room, each with huge grins on their faces. Mamoru looked particularly exultant, piquing the girls’ curiosity. 

Usagi was the first one to speak. “We’ll start with explanations. Everything you remember about fighting the Dark Kingdom, ignore it. Most of it is wrong. After Beryl was defeated, your memories were reset to only include the things that were supposed to have happened.”

“That’s very interesting, kitten,” Haruka drawled, “but what does that have to do with Michiru or I? Or hime-chan and Setsuna, for that matter.”

“Because you have to know to make sure you don’t do anything foolish, Haruka-papa,” Hotaru replied. “Usagi-chan says you get overzealous when something happens you don’t like.”

Haruka arched an eyebrow but let it go. The others watched their princess expectantly. 

“We’ll release the bonds on your memories and reveal our little surprise at the same time. Don’t blame me if you get a headache, though,” Mamoru warned. 

Usagi held up her hands when the girls gave her a confused look. “Questions later,” she ordered. “Revelations now.” The Silver Crystal appeared in her hand, sparkling wildly. Ami’s eyes went wide as she got a sense of the amount of power it was emitting. Usagi had improved if she could handle it so well without being Serenity. 

The gem lit up even more as Mamoru opened the door to his bedroom. The girls had to shield their eyes for a moment, but the light cleared as memories began flashing through their minds of both their past lives and their present ones. 

No one had really assimilated what they had seen when Kunzite stepped through the door with three others at his back. Rei shrieked what sounded like a curse and Makoto fell out of her chair. Ami stared, not believing what she saw. It was the remaining three Shitennou, very much alive. Michiru and Setsuna restrained Haruka.

“What are those three traitors doing here?!” the fiery priestess yelled. Minako forced her to sit and grabbed her transformation wand. “Usagi-chan! It’s bad enough Minako-chan tolerates Kunzite, but them!”

Mamoru restrained her. “Look at your memories,” he said. “Think before you react.”

The others followed his instructions. Rei did so only because she was under orders. Ami let her eyes drift shut as images began to move through her mind again. Zoisite laughing… Zoisite with a book… The two of them dancing… Zoisite helping her when she had hives from a love letter… Zoisite-from-another-time instructing her on how to use her powers…

“Why is there so much in my mind about Zoisite?” she asked. She wasn’t upset. Something in them gave her a sense of comfort she didn’t understand. 

“Because he’s yours,” Minako grinned. “Each of us had a Shitennou. Kunzite is mine. You and Zoisite were engaged in our past. You were friends when a version of him from an alternate timeline came to help us fight Beryl. This one is your Zoisite, the one you’re destined to be with forever and ever.”

Zoisite turned pink at the words. “I am not that impressive,” he said, “and I would not presume to demand Lady Mercury’s friendship or love after betraying her.”

Mamoru caught the words and turned to scowl at him. “We’ve gone over this, Zoisite. It’s not your fault and you’re not a bad person. As for your relationship with Ami-san, how about you let her decide?”

Usagi glanced at the pair of them. “It’ll take a while for me to calm down Mako-chan and Rei-chan while Setsuna-san and Michiru-san hold Haruka-san down. Why don’t you two go for a walk since Ami-chan doesn’t seem interested in hurting you?”

“All right,” Ami responded, not sure what was happening but willing to go along. She rose and headed for the door. Kunzite had to nudge Zoisite to get him to follow.

Neither spoke until they were standing in the park at the edge of the building. She could feel him watching her but was willing to let him speak when he was ready. 

“I’m sorry!” he blurted out. “I apologize for everything I did to you. For betraying you when we were supposed to get married. I am so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?”

“Of course,” Ami replied. 

“I would not blame you if you choose not to, but – what?”

“Of course I can forgive you.”

Zoisite stared at her with huge eyes. “So easy? You forgive me as if nothing happened?” He toyed absently with a loose strand of his honey blond hair.

She wandered over to a bench and sat down as he reluctantly followed. “Zoisite, I forgave you all those years ago when I first found out. I remember talking with Usagi-chan after the other you was kidnapped. She told me about the way we were during the Silver Millennium. As soon as our memories returned, I forgave you all over again.”

“But… how?”

“It’s not your fault,” she shrugged. “Beryl’s witchcraft turned a lot of loyal people. She even managed to turn Mamoru-san against Usagi-chan. How could I blame you when I never blamed him? I barely associate you with the evil Zoisite I fought as a teenager. You were very… different. Not at all like you really are.”

He scowled. “That was awful… And Kunzite… We can barely look at each other. But how can you just forgive me? …I killed you.”

“It was a thousand years ago in another life. I forgave you even as it happened. You see, I still remembered the kind man that sat with me after a silly love letter gave me hives. Regardless of it being your body, it wasn’t you. Not really.”

Zoisite cautiously put an arm around her shoulder. “You really think so? Mercury, I do not want you to forgive me out of obligation.”

“Stop blaming yourself,” she chided. “The past is the past, and that’s all. Besides, I don’t go by Mercury any more. My name is Mizuno Ami.”

“Mizuno-san.”

“Ami-chan,” she corrected. “Mizuno-san is too formal.” With that, the Senshi of Wisdom stretched and sank back into his embrace. 

“I do not know why you trust me.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“It was my fault.”

“It wasn’t.”

“What if I do it again?”

“You won’t.”

He jerked away, irritated. “Damn it all, I am trying to protect you! Why are you making this so hard?!”

She stared at him with calm eyes. “Because I won’t let you go again. Zoisite, I’ve felt like something was missing for years. You appeared and that piece was suddenly filled in. I’ve loved you forever. There’s no reason for me to hate you or not trust you.”

He dropped to the bench again and turned away. “I do not understand. How could you still love me? I… have done horrible things. There is blood on my hands. Your blood.”

She placed her hands on both sides of his face and made him face her. “Look at me. My blood may have been on your hands, but that stain is not on your heart. It wasn’t you who killed me. You fought Beryl, and I felt it. I could never blame you. She succeeded because you weren’t physically strong. She knew it and took advantage. You did fight though, and that makes every difference in the world.”

“Mercury… Ami-chan.” Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. “My little water nymph. I do not deserve you.”

She smiled. “Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes I wonder if I deserve you. I love you, Zoisite. Don’t leave me alone again.”

“I will work hard to deserve this second chance,” he swore. 

“You were caught and tortured by a vindictive witch. I’m pretty sure that puts you at the top of the list for deserving second chances.”

“I love you.” He handed her a tulip he had just plucked from one of the flowerbeds.

“Of course.” She gave him a soft, slow smile as she took the gift. “I love you too.”

88888888

Thunder and lightning surrounded her as the storm raged. She had left as soon as she could, not ready for her past. Instead she chose the sanctuary of the tumultuous weather. Even without transforming it came for her from far to the north when it would not have arrived for hours yet. Electricity crackled at her fingertips. Throwing her arms out, a bolt burst from her and joined the violent maelstrom. 

It was almost too much. Her memories had returned, but they didn’t ease the confusion. She had hated the Shitennou for so long. In the ancient past they’d taken each other’s lives. She killed him a second time the day she became Sailor Jupiter. So she hadn’t known when she killed him; that wasn’t her fault, was it? Was she to blame for being alone all those years? Was it her fault that no guy measured up?

“I thought I would find you here.”

Makoto almost toppled over in shock. She wouldn’t have expected anyone to brave the storm, let alone to seek her out. Her first guess was that it was Usagi, but it wasn’t. Nephrite stood there. Her heart thrummed a little in his presence, and her ancient self wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and stay there forever. 

Makoto squashed that instinct and mustered a glare. “What do you want?”

“To talk,” he replied. He was in civilian form, she noticed – he wasn’t ready to fight. She could fry him in an instant. She even considered it, but couldn’t bring herself to follow through.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She turned back to her storm, absorbing the energy of it all. Here, surrounded by trees in the midst of such weather, she was in her element. 

“I don’t see you in storms very often. You look the same.”

“I don’t care,” she tossed back. “About the past or what you think of me.”

He just watched. “Do you believe that, or are you trying to convince yourself? Rage against me if you like. Don’t pretend this doesn’t exist.”

“What good is yelling at you? The past happened; it’s over and doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” he growled, finally irritated. “Lie to yourself if you want, but don’t lie to me. What happened will always matter. Don’t act like I’m a stranger, Jupiter. I know you better than that.”

“Knew,” she corrected. “You knew a girl called Jupiter a thousand years ago. I’m not her. We’re not the same.”

“Do you think I can’t remember? This behavior is classic Jupiter. You’ve been angry with me before and come into a storm.”

Makoto shook her head. “I didn’t say I was angry with you.”

“You didn’t say it, but you’re acting it. If you weren’t angry, you wouldn’t just dismiss me,” Nephrite stated, eyes narrowed with temper. “I can feel your soul, you know. Twisted and bruised, some remnants of our bond held for all these years. I know you’re angry. You have every right to be, but don’t put your thunder in a bottle. Let it out.”

The stormy Senshi took a deep breath and screamed. Thunder boomed as lightning hit her again and again. For a long time, she continued to shriek her confusion to the winds as electricity danced across every inch of skin. She had long since been soaked, clothes hugging every curve.

He thought she looked beautiful there, even wet and dangerous. She was powerful and volatile and amazing. He could have watched forever. His heart told him he could find a way to get through to her, to regain the lady that had been his one love for a millennia and more. 

She finally quieted, and for a moment she was a fraction of her normal self – tired and heartbreakingly fragile, highly uncommon for the Soldier of Strength. She could have been her princess with her huge eyes and broken expression.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” she asked, climbing a tree and slumping against its trunk. She was cold and shaking now that her energy was spent.

He reached into his subspace pocket and found a blanket. Moving forward, he climbed the same tree and wrapped it tightly around her before shifting her into his lap. “I’d rather kill myself than leave,” he sighed. She tried to squirm away but he just tightened his grip. “I made mistakes I’ll never forgive myself for, but I’m not as noble as Zoi or Kunz. I won’t let you go. Jupiter, I wouldn’t have returned if I hadn’t thought I had a chance to win you over again.”

“You don’t,” she whispered. “I can’t forget what you did.”

“Don’t forget,” Nephrite said with a growl. “Remember and fight me if you want, but if you forget the bad you forget the good too. I fell in love with you and that never changed. Should I have tried harder to resist? Yes. In the end Beryl still might have won, but I should’ve fought to the last breath. Giving in was a moment of weakness, and it cost me everything. My life, my prince… You. Above all else, even betraying Endymion, I regret what I did to you most.”

She was beginning to cry, though she would never have admitted it. “I looked for you after she took you. I searched your entire planet. When I felt the link snap, I was in shock. It took Serenity days to get through to me, weeks before I recovered enough to function. Then there you were, attacking my home and the kingdom I’d sworn to protect. Do you have any idea what that did to me? How much it destroyed me to kill you?”

“Yes. I saw your pain. I regret it and I’ll try to earn your forgiveness until we’re lost to oblivion. I want to make amends, Jupiter.”

“Makoto,” she corrected in a voice too low for him to hear.

“Pardon?”

“Makoto,” she repeated more loudly. “It’s not Jupiter anymore. My name is Makoto.”

A tiny smile creased his lips. “Am I permitted to use such a lovely name?”

She couldn’t help a grin herself. “Well, you can hardly try public apologies if you don’t use my name. Our identities are still a secret.” She turned to stare at him. “I’m not saying I forgive you or that I ever will. I’m giving you a chance to try though. Don’t… Don’t put me through a heartbreak like that again.”

“Hm.” He glanced over her, noticing she was shivering even under the blanket. “Go home before you make yourself sick, Makoto. I need to work on that apology.”

She dropped out of the tree and nearly collapsed. “I don’t feel good,” she muttered.

He shook his head. “You were standing in that storm for a long time. I was here for more than an hour before I said anything.” He jumped down and hauled her into his arms.

It was one of the things Princess Jupiter had loved about Nephrite. Even though she was tall for a girl he was taller still and could actually carry her around. After all those years, she still found it endearing. Between coughs, she gave him directions to her apartment. He carried her home and tucked her into bed before going to her precious kitchen – which no one else was allowed to use – and making soup. 

She couldn’t bring herself to object to his presence in her home or for using her kitchen. She knew he could use it competently, and she was in no shape to prepare food herself. 

Once he had finished cooking an entire pot, he brought her a tray with soup, tea and a few of her other favorites. Before he allowed her to touch any, he forced her to take the despised cold medicine. Finally, he stood. 

“I’ll let you be,” he said. “Call someone if you need anything.” 

He was opening the door before she could force herself to talk. “Nephrite? Thank you.”

He grinned. “Anything for you, Makoto.”

88888888

The Shitennou… back from the dead. Rei struggled with the information, feeling as if she had stepped into a wall of fire. She was burning and couldn’t accept what was happening. Sure, she had obeyed when Mamoru ordered her to look at the memories, but it didn’t make things easier. She saw betrayal, and she watched as he killed her even as she took his life in her last desperate attempt to free him. 

To forgive Jadeite seemed impossible as she considered all the weeping she’d done, as she recalled death and rebirth and fighting. Jadeite had been the first general of the Dark Kingdom they encountered, and she’d become a Senshi as he tried to kill her. Was she supposed to forget the wrongs he’d committed?

Minako had accepted Kunzite’s return when Usagi said that he’d been reborn and was no danger to them. Rei hadn’t objected too much seeing the light in her friend’s eyes, but this was different. She remembered too well to forgive.

She snatched her transformation wand from Minako and stomped out of the apartment, too angry to stay for another moment. She heard Haruka lunge at one of them, knocking over a chair and a lamp before Usagi snapped something and the crashes stopped. 

Was she being silly, even insensitive? It was possible, she supposed, but it hurt too much. She transformed, wanting the flames and heat instead of the cold burn of betrayal. Her mind kept flashing back to the moment she died as Jadeite fell, as the other Senshi lost their fights around her. As Serenity cried for Endymion.

All of it was because the Shitennou betrayed them, taking Beryl’s side and attacking the Moon Kingdom. The Senshi could have withstood anything else but confronted with their lovers they hesitated. That hesitation killed them, and Beryl’s forces overran a once beautiful world. 

An image of Usagi saying the Shitennou themselves were betrayed rose, but she viciously crushed it under her heel as she leapt over rooftops. She didn’t know where to go, but she was so hurt that she just had to go somewhere. She couldn’t go to the shrine. The girls would look there. Even Jadeite knew the place. She couldn’t go to them or to Crown either; they would tell Usagi. She knew Motoki would side with Mamoru and the Shitennou. What was left? The only people who mattered to her were the ones that had brought this up. She wanted the Sacred Fire, but she couldn’t go home without risking having to face Jadeite. 

She hated him for the pain that had destroyed her when she saw him on the battlefield. It was his attack that made her a warrior again as he tried to kill her and her only friend before she was forced to destroy him. Zoisite nearly made her grandfather a monster. Nephrite almost did the same to Makoto before the stormy Senshi ended him instead. Could it be called killing if the Shitennou hadn’t really been people? Puppets, toys manipulated by an evil witch with thoughts of ruling the world. Could they be blamed for what had occurred?

She squashed the treacherous thoughts again, burying the affection her past self expressed toward the boyish Shitennou with his wicked blue eyes and charming laugh. He was an enemy now, nothing more.

She’d been betrayed too many times to trust easily. Her father had abandoned her, leaving her with her grandfather and forcing her to attend a Catholic school knowing she was Shinto and that her odd abilities would only bring her trouble. She’d never made friends until she met Usagi and the other Senshi. 

Eventually she stopped. It took a while to figure out where she was, but she shrugged and sat down before projecting a fireball in front of her. She reached out to the power of her element. The fire only showed images of him. She extinguished it, her temper flaring. Flames rose without being summoned, though thankfully nothing was harmed. It surrounded her, forming a burning pillar of her anguish.

“There you are.”

She whirled, fistfuls at the ready, but she couldn’t bring herself to attack. 

Jadeite sat on the edge of the roof, dangling his legs over. He wasn’t wearing his uniform. He could’ve been a child, or just a normal guy, and her armor cracked slightly before she forced her emotions under control.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded. Magic pulsed in the air around her. 

He wondered for a moment how long it had been since he had seen her like that. “I was looking for you,” he said simply. 

“Go away,” she growled. 

He shook his head. “I won’t leave you alone when you’re this angry.”

“I don’t want you here,” she snapped. “Go bother someone who cares what you think.”

He stood and faced her. “Aren’t you curious how I found you so soon?” he asked.

“No,” she replied automatically. She was, but she’d die rather than admit it.

“I felt the flame,” he continued, ignoring her response. “I could feel the burn of your pain. It’s been a long time, but I remember it as if it was yesterday.”

“And why has it been so long, I wonder,” Mars said acidly as she turned away. “I don’t care what you’re saying, so leave me alone.”

“Hit me if you want,” he smiled. “I won’t stop you if you think it’ll make you feel better.”

She pivoted and shot fireball after fireball, even using her Mars Arrow, but he dodged them all without flinching. She continued to throw attacks at him as tears managed to slip past through her guard. Eventually she fell, exhausted, and began crying in earnest. He was at her side in a second, cradling her to his chest despite her attempts to push him away. 

“It’s not fair,” she wept. “You were in my dreams for years, and when you finally appeared you tried to kill me until I had to take you out to protect my only friend.”

He stiffened. “You knew. All that time, you remembered me.”

She shook her head. “Not exactly, but I knew I cared about you. You were the first vision I ever had.”

He sighed, burying his face in her raven hair. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he breathed. “I never knew you realized. Does anyone else?”

“No,” she sniffed, no longer fighting the embrace. “I never told anyone, not even my grandfather.”

He tilted her chin so they were facing each other. “Never doubt that I regret hurting you. I’m so sorry for everything that happened, everything I put you through. I’m sorry I made you cry. If I could undo it, I would. I never wanted this to happen.”

She nodded a little, her expression turning to a cold mask as she pulled away. He bit back the urge to growl his disgust. He’d never liked the cold front she was capable of portraying despite being the Senshi of Passion. She would use that mask and hide her every thought when she was feeling vulnerable. “I appreciate the apology.”

Now he did growl. “Damn it, don’t do that. I don’t care if you hate me; I don’t care if you try to kill me, but don’t hide.” He reached forward and grabbed her wrists, and for a moment her anger flashed across her features before she regained her cool. “Yes, I screwed up. I listened to a creep who only wanted us out of the way so he could have Venus, and everything was ruined because we were weak. I couldn’t resist Beryl’s brainwashing. I killed you and forced you to kill when you were only a child. I can accept it if you never forgive me, but have the guts to show me how you really feel. You’re strong, but you’re entitled to your tears.”

Her eyes looked ravaged as they bore into his. “Let me go.”

“No,” he snarled. “All this pain, all that anger I know you’re feeling, let it out. Don’t try to pretend it isn’t there. Come at me. Kill me if you have to. Just don’t hurt yourself.”

The look she gave him was so cold he would’ve sworn he was facing Mercury’s ice instead of her fire. “My princess wants you here; I won’t do anything to change that.”

His blue clashed with her violet in a battle of wills. “Have you grown so used to the soft life that you can’t take me anymore?” he taunted, trying to rile her. “Have a few years of peace taken off the heat so much that you can’t burn?”

He could see the moment the flames reignited. “I could take you down anytime, Jadeite,” she snapped. “You’re nothing to me.”

“Prove it,” he challenged. “Prove you don’t care and kill me. You can even tell Serenity and Endymion it was my idea once it’s over.”

Her arrow came so fast he barely had time to roll to one side as he transformed, his Golden Kingdom uniform replacing a civilian’s jeans and casual shirt. A second flash of flame came to his other side as he back-flipped out of the way. 

“Fight back, damn you!” she yelled. “BURNING MANDALA!”

He twisted clear. “I’m not going to attack you.”

She screamed. “FIRE SOUL! FIRE SOUL BIRD! BURNING MANDALA! MARS FLAME SNIPER!” He evaded each in turn but remained in range. She was breathing hard but didn’t stop. “Fight back! MARS FLAME SNIPER!”

He snatched the burning arrow out of midair. “I won’t hurt you, Mars. I can’t.”

“MARS FLAME SNIPER! MARS FLAME… SNIPER! MARS… FLAME… Sniper… ” She fell to her knees, shaking. 

He stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace again, knowing her energy levels were too low to keep fighting. “Don’t you understand?” he asked. “I don’t want you to be hurt any more. I won’t attack you. I bound my own powers so I can’t. Only you can undo that.”

“I want you to fight back. If I have to undo the binding, I will.”

He shook his head. His own eyes had cooled. He wasn’t angry, just sad. “I won’t hurt you again. I don’t know how else to say it… I still love you. I always will.”

She stared at him, practically scorching him with her gaze until her eyes dropped to her lap. She shuddered and leaned against him. “…”

“What?” he asked. “Sorry, couldn’t quite hear that, love.”

“I said I love you too!” she yelled. “Do you have to make this harder?! I want to hate you for what happened, but I can’t! I never could because every time I try your image haunts me! I’ve loved you since I first saw you in my visions as a child!”

His arms tightened around her. “That’s all we need. If you love me, we have a chance. I’ll convince you to forgive me. We don’t need to be together until you’re ready. I won’t hurt you.”

“Good,” she muttered, her words muted since her face was pressed against his shoulder. “I don’t know what I would do without you anymore. Just…”

“Just what, Mars?”

She gave him a wan smile. “Could you give up the Mars bit? It would be really awkward in public.” He laughed. She stared at him, unsure of his reaction. “What’s so funny, you idiot?!”

“You never introduced yourself,” he explained between chuckles. “Mars is all I’ve got. Serenity never said, or if she did I didn’t catch it because I was thinking about you. I don’t remember my time in the Dark Kingdom enough to figure it out.”

“Oh,” she said, nibbling her lower lip. His eyes followed the motion. “It’s Rei. Hino Rei.”

“Hino Rei, huh? Spirit of fire. It suits you.” He pounced, crushing their lips together. When he pulled back, she was gasping for air. “Nice to meet you, Rei.”

“You idiot!” she shrieked. “That’s not how you react to introductions!”

88888888

When Minako woke up, Kunzite was thrashing beside her. She sighed and clicked on the bedside lamp before turning back to her fiancé. She grabbed his shoulder and shook it while ducking to avoid flailing limbs.

“Kunzite, wake up!” she said. “Hey, it’s just a dream, remember? A nightmare!”

He was crying and whimpering names in such a pitiful tone it broke her heart. He was never as lost as when he dreamed. He reached out, eyes open but blind as he called for Venus. 

“Kunzite, it’s fine, no one’s dead,” she said over his whimpers, trying to draw him back. “Come on. We just got Jadeite and Nephrite and Zoisite back. Everyone’s okay. Endymion’s still alive, and so is Serenity. Snap out of it.”

He woke slowly, shuddering even as his arms wrapped around her and dragged her close. “Mina… Minako.”

She brushed a strand of his silver hair from his eyes. “What was it this time?” He looked away, which could only mean one thing. “Beryl?”

He nodded. “I apologize, did I wake you?”

She sighed. “That’s not important. Are you okay? It seemed bad. What has you so upset?”

Kunzite shook his head before burying it in the crook of her neck. It was rare for him to seem vulnerable, but after a nightmare he could have been a little boy terrified by the monsters in the closet and under the bed. She stroked his hair, singing a lullaby from the Silver Millennium softly. He began to relax against her as his iron control forced him to calm down, to push away whatever upset him. 

She sat up and let his head fall to her lap. “Are you ready to talk now?”

“I saw everyone dying,” he murmured. “I was too weak to fight, and I – I killed you. I did not even care when the others fell, or Endymion. I just watched and could not stop it.”

She frowned. “You haven’t had that one in a while. What brought it on?” She considered. “Is it because the other Shitennou are here now? Oh, Kunzite, you know you weren’t to blame.” She squeezed his hand, offering him support.

His eyes were dead, but they latched onto her crystalline blue for reassurance. “I was the one who led them to that witch. I had to investigate to prove Adonis wrong. Because of that, everything was destroyed. I ruined everything.”

She ran her fingers through his hair again, knowing it always soothed him. “Kunzite, it wasn’t just because you wanted to prove him wrong. You went because you had a responsibility, and what happened wasn’t your fault. We don’t blame you, and you’ve worked with us for years. Has Mamoru-san ever said a word against you? Or Usagi-chan? Even the others trust you now.”

He leaned against the headboard next to her, still holding one of her hands. “I know you are right, but I am worried about the others. Ami-sama took it well, but Rei-sama and Makoto-sama seemed unhappy. Haruka-sama tried to attack them.”

“It’ll take time,” Minako replied. “They were just remembering, and the shock of seeing them caught them off guard. They’ll be fine.”

Kunzite curled against her. “I hate the nightmares,” he murmured into her neck. “It makes me feel helpless and always reminds me of failing my prince and the men I had sworn to lead.”

She offered him a sad smile. “None of us think of the end of the Silver Millennium happily. All we can do is accept it and not let something we couldn’t control ruin our lives.”

He muttered something vague, but she could tell he was starting to pull through the worst of it. She understood how hard it could be; after Danburite she’d gone through the same thing. It wasn’t until they were reunited that hers tapered off. 

“Mina?” he murmured. “I am sorry I woke you again.”

“It’s fine,” she replied. “You know I’m here for you. Come on; let’s get a drink.”

He declined, not wanting to deprive her of any more sleep, but she insisted and led the way to the kitchen. Mina decided tea or coffee would be too strong for the late hour and made hot cocoa as he sat at the kitchen table. He accepted the mug once it was ready, then took her hand and pulled her down for a kiss before he let her retrieve her drink.

“Thank you,” he said. “For being there.”

She smiled. “That’s my job, isn’t it? I promised we’d always be together, and I meant it. I won’t let nightmares pull us apart. If anything, I’d feel odd if this didn’t happen sometimes.”

He let her sit in his lap as she returned to the table, another habit they’d developed. He never wanted her far away after a dream. “I do not know why I am so worried,” he admitted.

“Because you care about them,” she said. “You want them to be happy, but you’re afraid of how the girls will react.” She glanced at his cup. “Are you all right now?”

He nodded as she finished hers. “Go back to bed,” he said. “Usagi-sama will want us all to meet again tomorrow to make sure everyone’s all right.”

Minako blew a loose strand of blonde hair out of her face. “She really wants this to work out. I can’t blame her; Crystal Tokyo is coming.”

He agreed. “That is why she chose to bring them back now, is it not? So we could present a united front as the real work begins?”

She frowned. “She wants us to have a chance to be together before we have to fight again. She wanted to give us the normal lives we won’t have later.”

He pressed a kiss to the bare skin of her collarbone. “She continues to operate under the mistaken impression that we want normal.”

Minako laughed. “Yeah, who needs something as boring as that?” She leveled a concerned look at her lover. “Will you be okay tonight?”

He shrugged. “You know I do not have the answer. I cannot control these dreams.”

Her soft eyes met his sympathetically. “I know it’s hard, but you have to fight them. Let’s get some sleep. You can hold onto me all you want if it helps.”

He smiled, knowing how she didn’t like to cuddle when the weather was as warm as it had been. “I do not know how I would get by without you.”

She kissed his cheek as she stood up. “I wouldn’t know what to do either.”

He chuckled as he stood, towering over her. Her laughing face eased the pain the nightmare had caused, reminding him for the billionth time why he could show her the emotions no one else saw. After all, no one else had been there during the worst nights, and he loved her for it. He followed her to their bedroom and offered a faint smile as she curled up against his chest the way he preferred.

“Good night,” she murmured, already slipping away.

“Good night,” he responded. “I love you, Minako.”

88888888

Haruka raged around the living room, pausing now and then to throw pillows or other items at the wall. Hotaru was perched on a stool laughing while Setsuna sat in the breakfast nook smiling as she sipped a coffee. 

Michiru wasn’t so cheerful. “Haruka, stop making a mess or you’re cleaning it up!”

The blonde froze. “But I’m angry, Michiru! The least she could have done was tell us what she was up to so we could stop her!”

The ocean Senshi shook her head. “She’s been planning to bring them back since they died. There’s nothing you could have said to dissuade her.”

“But Haruka-papa,” Hotaru interjected, “don’t you want the others to be happy?”

“How can they be happy with men we can’t trust?! They’re all no-good traitors who might turn on us at any time!”

“Usagi-chan believes in them,” Setsuna observed.

“And you two, helping!”

Michiru clamped her hand over her partner’s mouth. “Maybe you should stop talking before you say something foolish,” she suggested. “You might regret it later.”

“Michiru!”

The aqua-haired woman rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Hotaru-chan, it’s time for bed. You have school in the morning.”

Hotaru pouted but acquiesced. “Yes, Michiru-mama. But Michiru-mama, am I just leaving so you can use grown up words at Haruka-papa?”

“That’s right,” Setsuna agreed as she stood, directing her charge toward the bedroom. “I promised we could finish our game tonight. Let’s give Haruka and Michiru some time to themselves, hm?”

The littler Senshi nodded, brushing her bangs from her eyes. “Minako-chan said she’ll explain all the stuff that goes on after I go to bed soon.”

Setsuna made a face. “You shouldn’t talk to Minako-chan about things like this, Hotaru. She’s not good for your mind.”

“Usagi-chan says Minako-chan is very smart and just doesn’t act it.”

“Usagi-chan is right, but that doesn’t change the fact that Minako-chan talks about things you shouldn’t know yet. Let’s get ready, ok?”

The talking faded as the pair left. “Now, Haruka, let me make this perfectly clear: Leave the Shitennou alone, or you will be sleeping on the couch for a month.”

“Michiru!”

“A month.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, “but I still won’t trust them.”

“I don’t know why you’re being so hard on them. Kunzite has been around for years and you haven’t tried to hurt him.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“He was there before we were.”

Michiru managed to stifle her laughter before her partner turned to look at her. “I’m not sure that explains why you’re so up in arms against the rest.”

“They betrayed us! The others died at their hands. What’ll stop them from doing it again?”

“Guilt,” her partner replied. “You wouldn’t believe how bad they feel about it. That’s why I trust them. Besides, my mirror and instincts tell me they’re safe. Even if you don’t trust them, won’t you trust me?”

Haruka grimaced. “That question is a trap. If I say I still don’t trust them, you’ll take it to mean I don’t trust you and I’ll be sleeping on the couch.”

Michiru started to smile but switched to a more somber expression when Haruka glared. “Don’t be absurd.”

“I don’t like them.” The pout on Haruka’s face rivaled any produced by their twelve year old adopted daughter. Setsuna walked in as it formed and promptly burst into great bouts of laughter. “I hate you.”

“I’m sorry, Haruka,” Setsuna managed, “but that expression…”

“Why did you help anyway?” she demanded.

The older woman shrugged. “If I hadn’t, Usagi still would have found a way. I made sure she didn’t accidentally kill herself in the process. The Shitennou needed their ages adjusted, too – Zoisite was only sixteen when he died, and Ami-chan is twenty now. Besides, the Shitennou are trustworthy. They always are when they’re reborn around this period.”

“What about hime-chan?”

“She’s the Senshi of Rebirth, not just destruction,” Michiru reminded. “Besides, she’d do just about anything for Usagi-chan after she risked her life to bring her back safely.”

“You guys are making it hard to keep hating them,” Haruka complained. 

“Good,” the other two said in unison. 

“Why can’t at least I punch them?”

“It would upset Usagi,” Michiru replied. “She wants all of us to get along so badly. You know we need them to make the transition to Crystal Tokyo as smooth as possible.”

“I don’t have to like them, do I?”

“We can’t make you like them,” Setsuna pointed out. “We can, however, make you behave. They’re having a difficult enough time without your making it worse.”

“How are the others reacting?” the blonde asked, curious.

“Ami-chan accepted Zoisite,” Michiru explained. “The other two are having problems. Rei kept trying to barbeque Jadeite. Mako-chan didn’t hurt Nephrite, but she wasn’t very welcoming either. They’ll all make amends eventually.”

“How do you know all that? You haven’t left the room since we got home.”

“My mirror?” Michiru said dryly. “You were too busy rampaging to realize I was using it. I think they’ll be okay, right, Setsuna?”

She nodded. “Makoto will take the longest to accept it, but Rei and Jadeite have already started to settle things between themselves.”

“I still don’t like it,” Haruka muttered.

Michiru sighed and patted her hand. “You’ll get over it. After all, you can’t be that way forever. You used to have a hard time trusting Usagi-chan too, but you do now, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she answered. “But she’s our princess! Of course I’m going to trust her.”

“You didn’t at first. You thought she was unfit to lead and didn’t think she could stop Pharaoh 90. She managed it though, and you learned to respect her. Now, everyone you trust is saying that the Shitennou won’t hurt us. Can’t you put your faith in that?”

“I can try…”

“That’s all we’re asking,” Michiru reassured her. “Everything will work out.”


End file.
